Pneumatic-tube system.



No. 840,465. PATENTED JAN. 8, 1907.

B. C. BATGHELLER.

PNEUMATIC TUBE SYSTEM.

1 APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, 1905.

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PATENTED JAN. 8, 1907.

B. C. BATGHELLER. PNEUMATIC TUBE SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1,1905.

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WI THE-9858 ATTORNEY.

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B. e. BATGHBLLER.

PNEUMATIC TUBE SYSTEM. AIILIGATION FILED mm. 1905.

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' PATENTED JAN. 8; 1907. .7

. B. e. BATGHELLER. PNEUMATIC TUBE SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED MAY1,1905.

WITNESSES INVE IV T05 PATENTED JAN. 8, 1907.

'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BIRNEY O. BATCHELLER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE PEARSALL PNEUMATIC TUBE AND POWER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PNEUMATIC-TUBE SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters "Patent.

Patented Jan. 8,1907.

Application filed May 1,1905- Serial No. 258,289.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BIRNEY C BATCH- ELLER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing inthe city and county of My invention relates to pneumatic time systems, and has for its object to provide a pressure system adapted for operation only during the passage of a carrier through the. tube and in which the mechanism for controlling the flow of compressed air through the tubeisdirectly and positively connected; with a time-escapement, so that said time-escapement is set in operation by the act of set ting the valves for a flow of air through the tube and operates after a determined period to restore said valves to their normal position in which they cut off the flow of air.

The nature of my improvements will be best understood as described in connection with the drawings in which they are illustrated, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the two-sta-.

tion system provided with my improved devices. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the station appliances with the top of the casing A removed to show the internal mechanism. Fig.

'3 is-a side elevation of the station appliances with the front of the casing A removed and lts tlm'e -cscapement mechamsm shown "in central vertical section. Fig. 4 1s a hor1zon- 'tal section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4 with the valve-actuating appliances shown in full. 6 is a sideelevation of one of the station appliances with the casing A seetioned to show the contained mechanism. Figs. 7 and 8 are respectively plan and side views of the lever H and parts directly con-- nected therewith. Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the tube-gate G and parts directly connected with it with the gate shown in open position. Fig. 1.0 is a view showing the same parts illustrated in Fig. 9 with the gate shown in closed position, and Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the parts shown in Figs. 7, 8, and

9 in their assembled relationship to each other.

A and B indicate the two stations, one at each end of the tube C.

-D D are the casings containing the airvalves and through which the tube C is connected with the air-supply pipe E which pipe connects with both stations and 1s connected by a supply-pipe E with a source of compressed air. (Not shown.) The casing Dis formed with a chamber D, which is in direct and constant communication with the airsupply pipe E, and with the chamber D which is in permanent communication with the tube C through lateral openings C The two chambers are connected througha valveseated port D which is normally closed by a valve F, held to its seat by a spring F and having a spindle F which projects up from the casing and by which the valve is opened.

I have indicated at C the mouth of the tube C, and either mouth of the tube is provided with a gate-valve G, bywhich it can be closed, said ate-valve connecting through a lever-arm G with a IOCkSl18JfT/IG which is acted on by a spring G in a direction to open the valve, leaving the mouth of the tube un- V obstructed.

Gr is a second lever-arm. connected to the rock-shaft G 4 H is a pivot or shaft on which is attached the hand-lever H, in permanent connection with which is the forked lever-arm H having a laterally-extending lug H the forked leverarm supporting a pin H I I represent a bell-crank lever pivoted concentrically with but independent of the arm H its arm I being connected by a link I withthe lever-arm G of the shaft G while its arm I is arranged, when the lever is moved in the direction of the hands of a clock, to impinge upon and press down upon the valvestem F thereby o ening the air-valve F.

vThe position of the ever 11 on the shaft H is such that it is engaged by the laterallyextending lug H when the handlever:H is 7 moved toward the right.

J is a slotted extension of a piston-rodiJ v and is formed with a shoulder J, the rodJ being connected with the pistonwhich moves in the time-escapement cylinder K, said cyl- IOO I -J, a springL being attached to the rod L 'I when it "in Fig. 3. zo-

ports. -ver through the lu H turns the bell-crank I lever I I" toward the right, closing the gate ,inder having'a bottom port K, connecting through'a lateral passage K with' an intermediate ort K normally closed by a spring-Va ve K and an upper port K hav ing a regulable restricted opening the orifice of which is determined by the adjusting-needle K The pin H passes through the slotted head J, as indicated. Y

L is a latch pivoted on the pin L and having the lever-arm L extending laterally and connected with a. rod L which rod is provided with a laterally-extending finger L lying in position to be engaged by the shoulder and acting to press the latch-lever into operativepositionthat is to say, in position where it will engage the end of the lever-arm is moved to the position indicated In normal condition both of the valves G G are 0 en and both of the valves F are closed, tl e tube being thus cut off from air supply and open at both ends to the atmosphere. When itis desired to send a carrier throu'h the system, the carrier is inserted into t e open end of the pipe 0, and the operator then turns the adjacent lever H toward the right through the lever-arm H raisin the piston J the fluid contents of the cyl- 30 111% er H flowing freely from top to v bottom through the valve K and the described The'same movement of the hand-le- G by the action indicated in Figs. 9 and 11,

the connection of the lever-arms I and G through the link I being such that in the act of closing the gate the link I moves toward parallelism with the lever-arm I, so that the gate is quickly closed and finally is securely clamped and held to its seated position by the toggle-like action of the links. As the lever-arm I approaches a horizontal position it impinges on the valve-spindle F openin" the air-valve F, and is finally engag-ed by the latch-lever L, after which the hand-lever H and its connected lever-arm H can be moved "backward or toward the left without affecting the position of any of the parts which have been moved by its right-hand shift of position.

The opening of the air-valve F admits compressed air to the tube C, and the inserted carrier is rapidly propelled to the connected station, and while it is in motion the piston J ,ofthe time-escapement cylinder K is mov ng down under the action of a spring L, (shown in -Fi 3,) the fluid in'the; lower part of the cylinder escaping through the restricted port K? into the upper part of the cylinder. The downward motion of the piston of course draws down the shoulder J, which finally iin ra es on the finger L drawing down the ro I1 and turning the latch-lever L L toward the left until it releases the lever-arm I, whereupon the spring G rotates the shaft G toward the'left, restoring the connected parts to their normal non-operative-position, as shown in Fi 9, and of course permitting the valve F to close and cut off the airsupply.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letopen and said gate in closed position, and a time-escapement mechanism acting to release said latch and positively and directly set in'operation by the manually-operated device for actuating the valve and gate as aforesaid.

2. In a pneumatic-tube system, the combination of a tube, a gate or valve for closing its .end, a connected air-supply pipe, a valve for controlling the admission of air from said pipe to the tube, a manually-movable device, means actuated by said device'acting to first close the tube-gate and subsequently open the air-v alve, an automatic latch for holding said gate closed and said valve open, a timeescapement device for releasing the latch and means for setting said device in operation directly actuated by the manually-operated device for shifting thegate and valve as described.

In a pneumatic-tube'system, the combination of a tubeta gate or valve for closing its end, a connected air-supply pipe, a valve for controlling the admission of air from said pipe to the tube, a manually-movable device, means actuated by said device acting to first close the tube-gate and subsequently open the air-valve, an automatic latch for holding said gate closed and said valve open, a timeescapement device for releasing the latch, and means for setting said device in operation directly actuated by the manually-operated device for shifting the gate and valve as .described', said means for actuating the timeescapement being adapted to permit the manually-operative device to move backward without affecting the movement of the time-escapement.

4. H1 a pneumatic-tube system, the combination of a tube having a valve orgate for closing its end, a connected air-supply pipe and a valve for controlling the admission of air to the tube, with a time-escapement device, a manually-actuated lever connected to actuate the time-escapement, a bell-crank 1ever I, I, actuated by the time-escapement lever when it is turned to set the time-escape- ICC ment in operation, one arm of said lever acting to open the air-valve, a shaft G to which. the gate-valve is attached said shaft having also a lever-arm G a link 1 connecting arm G, and I, as described, a latch for holding lel ver 1,1, and connected partsin position to close the tube and hold the air-valve open and means for shifting said latch set in operation by the time-escapement.

5. In a pneumatic-tube system of the character described and havin a gate-valve G, means for closing said va ve comprising a rock-shaft G having an attached lever-arm I G, in combination with a manually-operable l pivoted lever-arm I, and a connecting-link 1 i said, levers and connecting-link being arranged as described and so that the lever I and link 1 move from a position of angular diver ence toward parallelism as the gate is close BIRNEY O. BATOHELLER. Witnesses:

- GEO. J MURRAY,

N. E. STEVENSON. 

